Pakistan hints at approaching neutral expert on Kishan-Ganga
02 August, 2008
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| Pakistan hints at approaching neutral expert on Kishan-Ganga |
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NEW DELHI: Expressing satisfaction over the modifications made by India in the Baglihar hydroelectric project as recommended by the international neutral expert, Pakistan Indus water Commissioner Syed Jamaat Ali Shah has said Pakistan can use the third option if the issue of Kishan-Ganga project is not resolved bilaterally.
Briefing newsmen here on Friday, he said under the Indus Basin Treaty, Pakistan could approach a neutral expert or the Court of Arbitration to resolve the issue of Kishan-Ganga project, as both countries could not reach at understanding during the three-day meeting of the Pak-India Permanent Indus Commission here on the controversial project.
India is constructing the Kishan-Ganga hydro project on River Neelum, a tributary of the River Jhelum in occupied Kashmir. A report will be given to the government on return to decide the next course of action, he said, adding, Pakistan was keen to address this issue through talks bilaterally.
At the same time, it has the option to go to the Court of Arbitration or neutral expert to resolve the issue as Pakistan has initiated the Neelum-Jhelum project downstream in Azad Kashmir where water will be needed for the project. If the Kishan-Ganga dam is constructed under the design as proposed by India, 27 per cent less water will flow into River Neelum which will affect the Neelum-Jhelum project downstream.
He said he had visited the Kishan-Ganga project site in 2005, but now India has come forward with a new revised run-of-the-river project. Pakistan has raised serious objections over the Kishan-Ganga project during the three-day talks and termed it a violation of the Indus Basin Treaty.
He said Pakistan had invited the Indian team to visit the Neelum-Jhelum project from August 18 to 23. World Bank neutral expert Raymond Lafitte had recommended lowering the height of the dam by one-and-a-half meter and raising the power tunnel to three meters.
"Now, it will be seen the `dead` and `live` storage capacity of the dam, as Pakistan wants 55,000 cusecs water on Head Mirala," the Pakistan water commissioner said. Answering a question, he said there was no bar to use river water for irrigation, industrial purposes and power production in the occupied Kashmir. India can irrigate 1,300,000 acres of land, he said.
So far it has irrigated only 800,000 acres during the last more than three decades. Syed Jamaat Ali Shah led a nine-member delegation at the talks while Indian Indus Water Commissioner G Raghunathan represented his country at the three-day deliberations.
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